A Non-partisan Political Commentary for Those Who Prefer To Think for Themselves

Sunday, April 01, 2012

Children of Illegal Immigration

What is America to do with the children of the 12 million or so illegal immigrants? Do we deport them? Do we support them but not their parents? Or do we support the whole family (which often includes extended families)? We've all heard the hue and cry from the liberal media about some little child being separated from one or both of the parents (or, in some cases, their aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, etc.) and the "inhumanity" of it. Some have referred to it as a form of child abuse, and perhaps it is. But on who's shoulders should that nefarious title rest?

The "unpolitically correct" answer is simply this. It's their parents who are criminals. Yes, I know that's considered a "harsh" term to some, but the fact of the matter is that they are here in violation of our national laws; in violation of our national soverenity. Not that we wouldn't normally welcome them. America is, after all, a nation of immigrants. We simply ask that everyone take their turn and follow the legal steps. Is that asking too much? And if someone can't do that, what can we expect of their attitudes will be toward the rest of our laws? Of adopting our culture and language? Heck, by coming here illegally, many are in violation of their own nation's laws!

I understand their desires. I really do. Most of these people in abject poverty and quite often in fear of not only the drug cartels, but of their equally brutal and corrupt governments. They live in an economic world where not only have their governments failed them, but their entire economic and social system has failed them. There are barriers in place and ruthlessly enforce to keep them in their supposed places. Much of it is imposed by their governments (many of whom are military backed dictatorships sponsored by the US Government), and by the Catholic Church, whose aim is to preserve the status quo.

Any amateur historian knows that development of a large middle class in Latin American was curtailed since it would impact on the rich, which gave generously to the Church while an illiterate and politically powerless population made for dependant and pliable followers and workers. After all, power is the name of the game, whether economic and spiritual. Liberation theology, which mashed the socialistic teachings of Jesus and the Gospels with the cause of the poor and was immensely popular in the 1970's and 80's, has largely been suppressed by the Catholic Church. Its avocation carries with it the guarantee of excommunication which is the Church's version of the death penalty. Sure, there has been a few willing to challenge the status quo (Zapata, Villa, and Che come immediately to mind, but their efforts were eventually subverted and often didn't have happy endings. Che vive en nosotros todos mis amigos), but questioning authority has usually been a quick way to purgatory or the morgue.

Corporations, the real power in American politics, have seen to it that lip service is the only thing offered the American People. Why? The logic is simple if you bear but one thing on mind: money. Money equates with power. The more you have of one the more you gain of the other. To make more money, it's necessary to hire people willing to work for little of nothing, and what's better than workers who can't complain; can't strike over money, benefits, or work conditions? Who are they going to complain to? More workers like this, the fewer "legitimate" employees they need. The results, is more individuals willing to work for less; to tolerate more. To survive, these same individuals have to incur more debt. They means they live on a borrowed existence. It doesn't stop there of course, the same strategy applies across the economic spectrum. The result is a decreased middle class and its transformation into a defacto working poor class.

Of course, religion has much to gain too. America has been a beacon of independent thinking, hard working Protestants. American Catholics too are a different breed. They tend to think that dictums issued by the Church are more like suggestions. Their pew companions from south of the border have been conditioned to think that a word from the Church, be it the Pope or village Priest, is like a commandment from God himself. A large influx of these parishioners would greatly increase the Church's political (and thus economic) influence in a heretical land. Thus, we've seen the Church ignore various laws to help "accommodate" in entry and support of illegal aliens into this country (of course, there are others but none with the same resources).

The costs to support illegals in this country are born by the taxpayers, creating a resentment among the classes. The costs, in the multimillions of dollars, are at a near breaking pointing of what our social safety net can bear. Still, an effective strategy to divert attention from the corporate overlords. At worse, it's the politicians, serving as the buffer on behalf of their paymasters, which takes the brunt of the public's outrage. But any successful blow is soften by the revolving door between government and the corporate world. What they fear the most, however, is the public's attention to the (pardon me Dorothy), "CEO behind the curtain". In this, the OWS and Tea Party movement almost had it right. Both saw a government out of control; totally unresponsive to anyone except Wall Street. Their leaders ultimately co-opted or marginalized. However, the energies of both groups were deflected, and easily so, thanks in large part to the media of both ideologies. For theirs is the power to create and influence public perception, and with that, public opinion. "Thank goodness for sheeple with attention deficient!" could be on countless plaques in boardrooms across America.

The children of the illegal immigrants in this country are but one, perhaps the most vulnerable, casualties. No one wants to see children suffer. It's not their fault in any sense of the word. They are true victims here. They are the victims of their own countries, which has failed them; of a Church for supporting a repressive status quo; of a crime of necessity committed by their parents; of government sanctioned corporate greed which funnels them into an economic serfdom, and by an economic and social system which failing all of us.